Drawing on years of research--as well as personal experience as a recovered addict--researcher and professor Judy Grisel has reached a fundamental conclusion: for the addict, there will never be enough drugs. The brain's capacity to learn and adapt is seemingly infinite, allowing it to counteract any regular disruption, including that caused by drugs. What begins as a normal state punctuated by periods of being high transforms over time into a state of desperate craving that is only temporarily subdued by a fix, explaining why addicts are unable to live either with or without their drug. One by one, Grisel shows how different drugs act on the brain, the kind of experiential effects they generate, and the specific reasons why each is so hard to kick. Provided by publisher.

Brain food -- Adaptation -- One salient example: THC -- Dream weavers: opiates -- The sledgehammer: alcohol -- The downer class: tranquilizers -- Pick me ups: stimulants -- Seeing clearly now: psychedelics -- A will and a way: other abused drugs -- Why me? -- Solving addiction.